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Azure Functions

Azure Functions Timer (NCRONTAB) Generator

Azure Functions timer triggers use NCRONTAB: {second} {minute} {hour} {day} {month} {day-of-week}. It looks like cron with an extra field at the front, and it runs in UTC unless you configure a time zone.

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What to know about Azure Functions cron

Common Azure Functions schedules

Ready-made expressions for the schedules people search for most. Each page explains the expression and shows the first run times.

ScheduleExpression
Every minute0 * * * * *
Every 5 minutes0 */5 * * * *
Every 10 minutes0 */10 * * * *
Every 15 minutes0 */15 * * * *
Every 30 minutes0 */30 * * * *
Every hour0 0 * * * *
Every 2 hours0 0 */2 * * *
Every 3 hours0 0 */3 * * *
Every 6 hours0 0 */6 * * *
Every 12 hours0 0 0,12 * * *
Twice a day at 9am and 9pm0 0 9,21 * * *
Every day at midnight0 0 0 * * *
Every day at 2:00 AM0 0 2 * * *
Every day at 9:00 AM0 0 9 * * *
Every day at 6:00 PM0 0 18 * * *
Every weekday at 9:00 AM0 0 9 * * 1-5
Every weekday at 8:30 AM0 30 8 * * 1-5
Hourly during business hours on weekdays0 0 9-17 * * 1-5
Every 15 minutes during business hours on weekdays0 */15 9-17 * * 1-5
Every Saturday and Sunday at 10:00 AM0 0 10 * * 0,6
Every Monday at 9:00 AM0 0 9 * * 1
Every Friday at 5:00 PM0 0 17 * * 5
Every Sunday at midnight0 0 0 * * 0
On the 1st of every month at midnight0 0 0 1 * *
On the 15th of every month at midnight0 0 0 15 * *
On the last day of every month0 0 0 28-31 * *
On the first Monday of every month at 9:00 AM0 0 9 * * 1
On the last Friday of every month at noon0 0 12 * * 5
On the first day of every quarter0 0 0 1 1,4,7,10 *
Once a year on January 1st0 0 0 1 1 *
Every 10 seconds*/10 * * * * *
Every 30 seconds*/30 * * * * *

Frequently asked questions

What is NCRONTAB?

The cron format of the NCrontab library that Azure Functions uses. It is like Unix cron with an extra seconds field at the beginning.

How do I run a function every 5 minutes?

Use 0 */5 * * * *. The leading 0 is the seconds field.

How do I schedule in my local time zone?

Set WEBSITE_TIME_ZONE, for example Eastern Standard Time on Windows or America/New_York on Linux, then write the expression in local time.

Moving a schedule between systems? Use the cron format converter, or read the cron error fixes.

More tools you might need

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